The Trump administration revoked the Biden administration’s decision last week to remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism, the White House said.
It was among the dozens of “rescissions of harmful executive orders and actions” announced on Monday.
“To commence the policies that will make our Nation united, fair, safe, and prosperous again, it is the policy of the United States to restore common sense to the Federal Government and unleash the potential of the American citizen,” the White House said.
“The revocations within this order will be the first of many steps the United States Federal Government will take to repair our institutions and our economy,” the statement added.
Biden's announcement last week, which was accompanied by Cuba's agreement to free more than 500 prisoners from its jails, appeared aimed at rolling back many of the sanctions put in place by Trump during his previous four years in office. […]
Cuba, which has always steadfastly denied any support for terrorism, had begun releasing a small number of prisoners as part of a broader plan negotiated with the Vatican. But with Trump's decision, it was unclear whether those releases would continue. (Reuters)
While Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said he wasn’t surprised by the decision, he nevertheless blasted it as an “act of mockery and abuse.”
"President Trump, in an act of arrogance and disregard for the truth, has just reinstated the fraudulent designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism," he said on X, according to a translation. "This is not surprising. His goal is to continue strengthening the cruel economic war against Cuba for the purpose of domination. The result of the extreme economic siege measures imposed by Trump has been to cause shortages among our people and a significant increase in the migratory flow from #Cuba to the United States. This act of mockery and abuse confirms the discredit of the lists and unilateral mechanisms of coercion of the US government. The legitimate and noble cause of our people will prevail and will once again win."